manager

This app won't take the place of Reminders or other scheduling apps that offer alarms--Clear sticks to simple list making, and it does a fine job.

The first thing I noticed about the app is the lack of interface buttons. You never hit a button called "menu" or rely on arrows to turn pages (though you will use the iPhone type pad). Instead, you navigate around this to-do list app using swipes and pinching gestures with delightful sounds as you complete each action. While looking at a list, a swipe down creates an empty list item so … Read more

"Hey, I've just been fired."

"What a coincidence! So have I. Let's go and have a beer."

Such conversations must have abounded yesterday when British insurance company Aviva sent this charming e-mail to 1,300 employees in its investment unit: "We're not investing in you anymore. You're fired."

No, wait. That wasn't the e-mail. This was the e-mail, according to the Telegraph: "I am required to remind you of your contractual obligations to the company you are leaving. You have an obligation to retain any confidential information pertaining … Read more

Windows 8 running on small devices using chips from Qualcomm, Nvidia, and others is not just a consumer play, as Microsoft made clear in a post this week.

In a blog posted Thursday, "Managing 'BYO' PCs in the enterprise (including WOA)", Mircrosoft's Jeffrey Sutherland, a program manager lead in the company's Management Systems group, addresses the "drive towards consumerization of IT" and how consumer technology is "bleeding into business organizations." In short, employees are bringing their personal laptops, tablets, and smartphones to work rather than using the devices assigned to them by … Read more

For many Mac users, the Finder provides plenty of functionality. But if you're looking for more powerful control over your files and desktop, Path Finder can be an attractive alternative. This standalone file browser complements and improves on the Finder, with scores of useful integrated features.

The program lets you quickly access favorites; view the contents of almost any file in a preview drawer; and move files more easily using the Shelf and Drop Stack. Other features include the capability to compress and decompress files; mount disk images; view invisible files, securely delete files, and work from the command … Read more

Firefox Profile Manager Plus Extension (FPM+) is a useful extension that lets you create individual password-protected user profiles in Mozilla's Firefox Web browser. Each profile has its own log-ins, passwords, preferences, history, bookmarks, and other personal data. It's an ideal solution for allowing multiple users to access the Internet using Firefox on one computer, but it's also a great way for individual users to keep separate, secure user profiles for accessing the company network from home, billable activity, and maintaining privacy.

FPM's installation process is more involved than the typical Firefox extension, requiring specific steps to … Read more

According to The Economist, the average American consumes almost eight 40-foot trees per year in paper. Even if you're not environmentally minded, reducing the amount of paper you consume has many benefits, including saving money and reducing clutter.

To help you get on the path to living a paperless lifestyle, here are six tips to consider:

Switch to paperless billing If you're still getting paper bills in the mail, consider switching to paperless billing. Many companies, banks, and utilities offer paperless billing options. The bills will typically be in PDF format, which you access online. When the new … Read more

If you're looking for an easy way to share your contact card, give ContactMonkey a try. By listing your information on ContactMonkey, you'll be provided with a Web page where your contact info will be listed.

Visitors of your page are then able to view your info, as well as given the option to download your contact card by clicking on one of the 19 different devices or programs supported by ContactMonkey. By supporting so many different contact card formats, ContactMonkey ensures your information is available to anyone, even if they're viewing your info on … Read more

Your boss might sometimes show contempt for you. But secretly, he's scared of you.

It's not so much that he thinks you're far more talented than he is. His vast, overbearing ego wouldn't even allow that thought to enter the heavenly gates of his mind.

No, he's scared you might use your new technological tools to make naughty videos -- the worst of which would be to secretly film him with his metaphorical pants down and then post the footage for public delectation.

I am not making this up. For I have been given advance … Read more

commentary A few months into the gig, Research In Motion CEO Thorsten Heins has shown he's not afraid to pull the trigger.

On the heels of several high-profile departures, including that of former co-CEO Jim Balsillie, a number of other senior-level executives are also getting shown the door, according to a report from The Wall Street Journal (subscription required).

The continued shakeup is badly needed at RIM. As I previously wrote, RIM was mired in a top-heavy company that contributed to its inability to deftly respond to changing trends in the mobile-devices business. On the last quarterly conference call, … Read more